Pitso Mosimane to Bafana Bafana update! What went wrong?

Celebrated South African coach Pitso Mosimane has been heavily linked with the vacant job at Bafana Bafana.

Hugo Broos served the South African national team for five years before calling it a day recently. During his tenure, Bafana Bafana played in the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished third in the 2023 edition before falling in the Round of 16 in the most recent one.

The biggest achievement, arguably, was helping the nation qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. They reached the knockout phase for the first time in the country’s history.

Before recent reports that Mosimane has been selected, Rulani Mokwena and Benni McCarthy were the other tacticians linked with the job.

What has been said about Mosimane and why he has not been confirmed

“The NEC has approved the appointment of coach Pitso to Bafana Bafana, but we still need to tie up some loose ends. We will make a formal announcement of the coach next week,” SAFA President Danny Jordaan confirmed.

However, the problem was, reportedly, on the package where the federationhad not given him a competitive salary. But that has changed, “SAFA has now increased its initial offer after Mosimane’s representatives pushed for a package that better reflected his standing and previous earnings.,” FARPost reported

“The association had initially tabled a package of R5 million a year, which was well below the reported R1.4 million-a-month salary Broos earned. Mosimane was earning about R1.5 million a month when he left Mamelodi Sundowns in 2020.

“The revised offer has brought the two sides closer, with the remaining negotiations understood to centre on final contractual details. Despite the outstanding issues, sources close to the talks indicate Mosimane is ready to begin preparations for his return to the national team,” they concluded.